


Dreams Come True

by Prince_Hel



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Canon Universe, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-06-01 13:44:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6522160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prince_Hel/pseuds/Prince_Hel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the moment she crossed the doorway, she was tackled by the little blonde that hugged her by the waist. “Hey, there.”</p>
<p>Rindy didn't reply to her greeting, but she looked up and gave her one of her brightest smiles that she obviously had inherited from her mother.</p>
<p>“Thank you so much, Therese.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreams Come True

**Author's Note:**

> You were so kind and supportive with my other fic that I now believe I'm a little decent at writing and that's why I keep publishing them, lol.

Today was the day. The custody agreement was finally settled and the documents would be signed. It had taken a little more than three years to reach to it -although it had felt like an eternity- mostly due to Harge’s constant changes of mind. But the moment his daughter inconsolably wept claiming she missed her mother and wanted to spend more time with her, breaking his heart with her distressful crying, he finally decided to swallow his foolish pride.

Carol was a nervous wreck while pretending to be calm about the situation. Because in addition to the signing of papers, Rindy would be spending half of the summer break with them and no matter how many times Therese tried to reassure her telling her everything would be great; Carol couldn't stop thinking that there was a huge difference between spending an afternoon with a kid and several weeks with them. Furthermore, she hadn't shared her concerns with Therese that something could happen and ruin the chance to make all her dreams come true. After all, life has the annoying particularity of pushing you off when you are on your highest points.  
And it didn't help that today had dawned cloudy. It was as if the weather had decided to be in sync with the blonde.

Sighing, Carol left her cup of coffee precariously on the edge of the kitchen table. “All right, time for me to go, darling. We will back as soon as we finish with the lawyers.”

Therese was distractingly cleaning the countertop but halted the moment she heard Carol’s voice. The task wasn't particularly needed since they had gone over the house cleaning the previous day, but if she didn't occupy herself, Carol's nervousness would have been contagious.

She turned to see the older woman getting up and she followed her when she started moving, pushing back the cup of coffee to avoid an accident on her way. “I’ll be right here.”

Carol smiled weakly when they got to the front door and gave her a peck, but when she was about to open the door, Therese held her by the wrist. When she turned around to question her, any matter on her mind disappeared as Therese cupped her face between her hands and pulled her down gently to join their lips. Soft and warm lips were worshipping her own while a hand got lost combing through her hair and the other was placed on her waist to pull her closer to its owner.

Therese had learned over time how physical Carol was. How the most gentle touch of their hands, the softest kiss against her temple, the lightest brush of their lips, and practically any contact they come to have, no matter how brief or imperceptible, was able to calm her to a relaxation point. She imagined it had to do with the fact that she _wanted_ them and they were coming from the person she _loved_.

Therese broke off the kiss when she heard Carol let out a low moan and only because she knew she needed to get going soon, but instead of stepping back she rested her forehead against Carol's. “Everything will be fine. Now, go for your daughter,” this time she received one of the blonde's signature smiles before getting kissed once again.

After Carol had left the apartment, she was marveling at how easy it was for Therese make her believe those words and realizing that the sun was rising.

 

* * *

 

She was so anxious when she arrived at Fred’s office that she was certain she would get physically ill. It didn’t help that Rindy wasn’t in the office when she stepped into it. Her lawyer must have seen the distressed expression on her face, because almost immediately she was reassured that Harge had made the decision that Rindy would stay with her grandparents in the restaurant that was a few blocks away while they checked one last time to make sure everything was in order.  
Carol made a huge effort to not roll her eyes. It wasn't really needed to read the agreement once again, unless Harge had changed his mind in the last minute, but she would have been warned if that was the case.

But now, while waiting for Rindy’s arrival, she was able to finally relax and even enjoy the way the sunlight caressed her face, soothing any trace of tension that could’ve remained in her with its heat.

She observed Harge approaching the car that had just parked, opening the back door. She could hear him raising his voice and she didn’t need to hear what they were saying to know his parents were complaining about the current situation. They could complain all they wanted to, Carol couldn’t care less, there wasn't much they could do about it now that she and Harge had signed the papers and they were notarized, she thought with a smile.

When Rindy got out of the car and saw her mother, she ran to her, screaming an excited _‘Mommy!’_ and Carol didn’t hesitate to shorten the distance by rushing towards her. Her daughter was extending her arms and she knew better than to pick up an eight year old but the moment she was close she couldn’t help herself.

“Oh, my special girl.”

Rindy’s arms clung to her neck and her legs circled her waist while Carol hid her face against her neck to blow a raspberry and make her daughter laugh. Unfortunately, it didn't last as long as she would have liked and she pulled back when she heard Harge clearing his throat to draw her attention.

“You want me to put this in your car?,” he gestured to the suitcase with his head.

“That won’t be necessary, I can manage. Thank you, though,” she put Rindy back on the floor to allow her to say goodbye to her father, which wasn’t beyond their usual goodbyes: a kiss, a hug and a _‘see you soon, daddy’_.

After saying goodbye to Harge, Carol stretched her left arm since she had used her right to pick up the suitcase and Rindy grabbed her hand immediately to make their way to the car. She opened the passenger door, letting Rindy get in as she put the suitcase in the backseat and after making sure her daughter had fastened her seatbelt, Carol took her place behind the wheel and she looked at her companion with a smile.

“Are you ready to go home?”

“Yes!”

For a while they traveled in silence. Rindy was distracted by the interior of the car since she hadn’t had the chance to be in the passenger seat before and in her opinion, there were several things able to entertain her. Carol was letting her as long as she would not touch anything she shouldn’t, thing she was checking from the corner of her eye.

“Mommy, where’s Therese?”, she asked when she got bored to press the buttons without achieving anything more than turn on the radio.

“At home, sweetheart, she’s waiting for us.”

“That’s good, I’ve missed her too.”

Carol felt a heartwarming sensation at her daughter's words. Nothing new, but she could never get tired of hearing Rindy or Therese talking about the other, especially after witnessing the close relationship they have been developing.

“She has missed you too, you know?”

Rindy smiled tenderly, looking through the window before glancing her mother. “And you?”

“Me?” Carol knew her daughter had asked as a joke, she saw her amused smile when she had looked at the young blonde fleetingly before turning her attention back to the road, but she was unable to play along this time. "I missed you so much that I felt as if there was a hole inside me that grew every time you weren't with me.”

Rindy looked down at her lap, squirming in her seat in a way that let Carol know she was feeling guilty and it was breaking her heart. Sometimes her daughter’s empathy had its drawbacks so maybe she shouldn’t have been this sincere. “But you know what?” Carol was quick to add, not wanting her daughter to feel sad when she was free of guilt in this situation. “There was someone who, even if I didn’t forget about missing you, made this time bearable and made me happy despite of the distress of not having you with me.”

Rindy had returned her gaze to her mother when she kept talking and when Carol turned her face to look at her, their eyes met for a brief moment assuring Rindy of her sincerity, thereupon she smiled cheerfully. “Really? Do I know them?”

Carol laughed. “I'm more than certain that you do. But in case of any doubt, we are going to see them soon.”

The girl let out a giggle and looked through the window once again, watching the buildings that had become familiar over the years. “I'm going to make sure to thank them then,” she whispered but her mother was able to hear her.

And Carol was convinced her cheeks would ache after how much she was smiling, but to hell with it and the cliche, she was the happiest woman in the world.

 

* * *

 

Therese was in the kitchen preparing dinner when she heard the front door open, followed by a pair of calm footsteps accompanied by ones more energetic, making her smile. She knew Carol was torturing herself earlier, having a myriad of thoughts of everything that could go wrong that day even if she hadn't shared it with her, so she was glad to know that she would have the opportunity to whisper  _‘I told you so’_ to her later.

She was absolutely certain that first they would leave Rindy's suitcase in her room giving her a few minutes to advance in the food preparation but her plans were disrupted when Carol called her, announcing their arrival.

“Coming!” she answered quickly and after cleaning her hands in it, she took off the apron, dropping it on the back of the chair she usually sits on and headed to the living room from where the noise was coming.

In the moment she crossed the doorway, she was tackled by the little blonde that hugged her by the waist. “Hey, there.”

Rindy didn't reply to her greeting, but she looked up and gave her one of her brightest smiles that she obviously had inherited from her mother.

“Thank you so much, Therese.”

Therese looked at Carol with confusion, but she was only watching them with a warm and gentle smile. She didn't want Therese to think that she had anything to do with what was about to happen when it was all her daughter’s idea.  
Realizing she wouldn't get anything from Carol, the brunette turned her attention back to Rindy, unable to stop herself from brushing away the bangs from her eyes with her fingertips while she asked _‘What for?’_

“Mommy said that she was really sad missing me, but that there was someone we'd come to see that had made all that time bearable and has been able to make her happy even when she felt that a part of her was missing because I wasn't with her. So... thank you so much for doing that.”

Therese swore she felt her heart stop for a moment before pounding furiously against her chest, making her breathe deeply to calm herself at the same time she was trying to blink away the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to upset Rindy making her believe that what she had said was something wrong when in reality have meant the world to her, especially coming from her.

With a whole-hearted smile that made her dimples appear, she kneeled down to be at the young blonde’s height and hugged her tightly, feeling herself close to bursting with joy when the little girl hugged her back. “It has been a pleasure, Rindy, believe me. But now that you are here, we can make her twice as happy. How about that?”

Carol wiped the tear falling down her cheek and her smile could only grow when she saw Therese picking her daughter up after she had exclaimed an enthusiastic _‘yey!’_ to make their way towards her.

**Author's Note:**

> It looks like I'm not able to write anything beyond fluff. I'm okay with that, though.


End file.
